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society “Secret force” was formed with more
than a thousand of Chyhyryn region peasants
as its members. They spread so-called tsar
“Royal charters” on behalf of the tsar with the
appeal to share lands. In 1877 the “Secret
force” was exposed and many of its
participants were arrested.
1875 As a result of anti-Ukrainian repressions, by a
tsar’s decree, Mykhailo Dragomanov was
dismissed from Kyiv University, where he
worked as a senior lecturer. He had to go
abroad.
1876 The Ems decree of Tsar Oleksandr II.
In 1875 the commission of means of struggle
with Ukrainism. The commission conclusions
included: “To allow existence of literature
written in common dialect would mean to
create a strong foundation for possibility of
Ukraine’s separation from Russia even in the
future". On March, 18, 1876 after
familiarizing with those recommendations,
being in the German resort town Ems,
Oleksandr II signed a decree according to
which:
1. it was banned to publish original and
translated literary works (even words for
music) in Ukrainian;
2. it was banned to bring Ukrainian books and
brochures published abroad to the empire;
3. it was banned to stage plays and arrange
concerts “in Little Russian dialect”;
4. it was ordered to strengthen control on
schools to prevent teaching in Ukrainian and

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